End-gate.



PATENTED AUG. 23

'A. J ALLEN.

END GATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14.1904.

N0 MODEL.

Patented August 23, 1904;

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED J. ALLEN, OF HENDERSON, KENTUCKY.

END-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,165,,dated August23, 19Q4. Application filed June 14, 1904. Serial No. 212,541. (Nomodel.)

To allwhom, it may concern:

Be it knownthatI, ALFRED J. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Henderson, in the county of Henderson and-State-of Kentucky,have invented a new and useful End-Gate, of which the following is aspecification. i i 1 This invention relates to end-gates, and has forits object to improve the construction of such devices and in particularto dispense with I the transverse rods commonly employed for' connectingand bracing the sides of a wagon body and to have the end-gate operateas a brace for said sides. I i

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved connectionbetween the endgate and each side of the wagon-body and to embody suchconnection in the form of an atwithout materially altering theconstruction of the end-gate and the wagon-body.

It is furthermore designed to facilitate the application and removal ofthe end-gateand at the same time to provide a rigid and durableconnection between the gate and the wagon-body, so as to prevent theformer from being jolted loose.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be herein-' after morefully-described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the rear end of awagon-body provided with the end-gate of the" present invention.

Fig. 2 is a' detail cross-sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 1 and 5 aredetail views showing modified forms of the wagon-body attachment.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings. g 5 Referrlng to the accompanylngdrawings,

-1 designates the bottom, and 2 the sides, of any ordinary form ofwagon-body having the usual upstanding cleats or bars 3 secured to theinner faces of the sides 2 at the rear ends thereof to form guides orshoulders against which the end-gate 4: is designed to rest. Thisendgate is made up of a relatively long section 5 and a shorter section6, which have a hingedjoint connection 7 A locking-bar 8 is rigidlyconnected to the outer side ofthesmaller-endgate member 6, so as tooverlap'and lie against the larger section 5 when the gate is in placeto lock the same against accidental breaking of the hinged joint betweenthe end-gate sections.

' The attachments of the present invention include a wagon-body member 9and an endgate member 10, one of the latter being securedto the outer orrear side of the end-gate ateach end thereof and terminating at itsouter end in a hook or projection 11, which is directed outwardly fromthe gate. The

' wagon member is in the nature of a bracket and consists of an uprightbar or body which is' fitted against or let into the outer face of theadjacent side of the wagon-body and provided at its upper end with alateral extension.

12 to lie across and upon the tops of the side 2 and the cleat 3, therebeing a pendent extension 13 at the outer end of the extension 12 to lieagainst the cleat 3 and terminated short of the lower end of the barmember 9. This bracket member is secured at its lower end by a suitablefastening 14, which pierces the bar and the adjacent side ofthewagon-body, there being another fastening 15, such, as a bolt, whichpierces the lower end of the pendent extension 13, the cleat 8, the side2, and an intermediate portion of the body of the bracket, whereby saidbracket operates as a brace for the cleat. Between the bolt 15 and theupper end of the bracket there is a loop-shaped keeper 16,which isformed integral with the body 9. of the bracket and lies between thelatter-and the pendent extension 13 in the plane common to said membersPrior to fitting the bracket .to the wagon-body each side thereof is provided with a transverse opening 17, disposed to receive the keeper 16,said opening being in the nature of a deep groove or bifurcatlon in thetop edge of the side to permit of the bracket being fitted downwardlyupon the side 2, the upper end of the cleat 3 of course having anupright edge groove 18 formed therein to register with the bifurcation17 and receive the outer end of the keeper.

When the end-gate has been placed within the wagon-body and thelocking-bar 8 swung against the section 5, the hooks or projections 11of the members 10 will be projected into engagement with the respectivekeepers 16, the latter being exposed through the grooves 18, formed inthe cleats 3, whereby the endgate is rigidly connected to the oppositesides of the wagon-body and operates as a brace therefor, while at thesame time the gate is rigidly held against being jolted loose. Bydrawing outwardly upon the free end of the locking-bar 8, so as to breakthe hinged joint 7, the hooks 11 will be disengaged from the keepers 16,whereupon the end-gate may be readily removed from the wagon-body.

It will here be noted that whatever outward strain comes upon the sidesof the wagon-body is transferred directly to the end-gate through thebracket 9 and the hooks upon the endgate without placing any strainwhatsoever upon the cleats 3. However, as said cleats are embracedbetween the bodies and the extensions 13 of the brackets they will berigidly held against working loose.

In view of the fact that it is the keeper which takes the strain the topand pendent extensions of the bracket may be omitted, as shown in Fig. 5of the drawings, wherein 9 indicates the body of the bracket and 16 thelooped keeper disposed between the ends of the body, the latter beingprovided with suitable openings 19 for the reception of fastenings toconnect the bracket with one of the sides of the wagon-body.

A still further modified form of bracket has been shown in Fig. 4, whichembodies the body 9 the top 12, and the pendent extension 13, with thefastening 15 piercing the extension and the body of the bracket, fromwhich it will be understood that the only difference between this formof the bracket and that shown in Fig. 3 resides in the omission of thekeeper 16, the extension 13 being employed as a keeper with which thehook on the end-gate is designed to engage. When the loop-keeper 16 isomitted, the cleat 3 should of course be cut away to expose a portion ofthe inner face of the part 13 for engagement by the adjacent hook on theend-gate.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the attachmentof the present invention is complete in itself and capable of beingapplied to an end-gate and a wagonbody without materially altering thesame and when fitted in place operates to rigidly connect the end-gateto the sides of the wagonbody, so as to prevent jolting loose of theends of the gate and to brace the sides of the body through the mediumof the end-gate.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention,what I, claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The combination with a wagon-body and the end-gate thereof, of abracket applied to the outer face of each side of the wagon-body andhaving a keeper exposed at the inner side of the body, and means carriedby the endgate for detachable engagement with the respective keepers.

2. The combination with a wa gen-bod y and the end-gate thereof, of abracket secured to the outer face of each side of the wagon-body andprovided with a keeper projected through an opening in said side, andmeans carried by the endgate for engagement with the respective keepers.

3. The combination with a wagon-body and the end-gate thereof, of abracket applied to the outer face of each side of the wagon-bod y withits upper portion embracing the top of said side and also provided withan intermediate keeper projected through an opening in the side, andhooks carried by the end-gate for engagement with the respectivekeepers.

1. The combination with a wagon-bod y having upstanding cleats at therear ends of the inner faces of the sides of the wagon-body, and anend-gate to bear against said cleats, of a bracket applied to the outerface of each side of the wagon-body with its upper per-- tion embracingsaid side and the cleat and having a portion exposed at the inner sideof the wagon-body to form a keeper, and means carried by the end-gatefor engagement with the keeper portion of the bracket to lock theend-gate.

5. The combination with a wagon-bod y having upstanding cleats at therear ends of the inner faces of the sides thereof, and an endgate, of abracket applied to the outer face of each side of the wagon-bod y andprovided with a keeper projected through an opening in the side andreceived and exposed in a recess formed in the cleat, and means carriedby the end-gate for engagement with the exposed portions of the keepersto lock said gate.

6. The combination with a wagon-body having upstanding cleats at therear ends of the inner faces of the sides thereof, and an endgate, of abracket applied to the outer face of each side of the wagon-body andembracing the top of the side and the adjacent cleat, the bracket beingprovided with a keeper which is projected through an opening in theadjacent side of the wagon-body and exposed within a recess in thecleat, and means carried by the end-gate for engagement with the exposedportions of the keepers.

7. A fastening for end-gates, comprising a bracket for application toone side of a wagonbracket for application to one side of a Wagon-- bodyand provided with a portion to be ex- IO posed at the inner face of saidside and constitute a keeper, and a hook for engagement with the keeperand having means to connect the same with an'end*gate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixedmy signature in 5 the presence of two witnesses.

- ALFRED J. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

NATHAN M. LAUOHHEIM, NORTON H. ROSENFELD.

